Few things feel more rewarding than helping families in need. Better yet — not only does donating items you no longer to need to charity feel good, but it’s also good for the world at large. It’s proven that donating clothes, for example, reduces pollution and landfill waste; in fact, old clothes account for 5% of America’s total waste. With that knowledge, you may be wondering what items in your house would qualify as charitable donations.
1. Clothing Donations
A clothing donation is an easy way of helping families in need. Many charity organizations are happy to take the clothes you no longer need. They’ll likely be assessed for quality and need … for example, there may be more need for children’s clothing in one location, and more need for adult’s clothing in others … before being accepted. However, if your clothes aren’t accepted it’s unlikely that you’ll have to worry, as the charity will take care of them for you … if you want, you can ask if unused clothes will be recycled.
2. Donations To Veterans’ Charities
If you want to specifically work towards helping disabled veterans, you may to target specific charities. These might be called purple heart donations, and the goal there is to use your donations to raise money for wounded or traumatized veterans, as well veterans’ hospitals and support groups. Purple heart donations are often clothing donations, and not on assist veterans individually, but go towards helping military families.
3. Donate Leftover Toys
It’s not long before a child outgrows the toy that they were just given. But rather than let it languish in the dust, that toy could go towards helping families in need! Children’s items like toys, Halloween costumes, and creativity kits are great sellers at charities and thrift stores. Not only will the proceeds from the sale of these items go to a good cause, but you can trust that this once … treasured item will go on to be loved by other children.
4. Household Donatons
Charities are constantly looking for donations that include things like appliances. While some charities move these on to “thrift” stores that sell them to make money for the charities, others donate them directly to people in need. Appliances are something nobody can realistically live without, and as such they’re not only a great help to the needy, but those buying them. Furthermore, remember that donations to reputable charitable organizations can help lower your tax bill!
Before you attempt to throw something away … wherein its fate inevitably lies in the landfill … consider what charities can do. Indirectly, you may be helping a huge number of people with one simple donation. And feeling that good about your decision will help you too!
